Rothwell (36-9; fighting out of Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA) is jumping straight back into the Octagon following not only an impressive win against MMA legend Josh Barnett, but a win via submission against a Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, awarding Rothwell the fight of the night bonus.

With all four of his last victories ending in spectacular fashion, Rothwell is repeatedly showing the world why 2016 is his year to make a run at the heavyweight title.

Former UFC heavyweight champion dos Santos (17-4; fighting out of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil) will be looking to solidify himself back into title contention following a loss against Alistair Overeem at the end of last year.

The Brazilian has notable wins over some of the biggest names in MMA including current heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum, Croatian legend Mirko Cro Cop and, more recently, title contender Stipe Miocic.

This heavyweight battle will have both contenders looking to put on the performance of a lifetime to prove why they deserve to be the next in line for a title shot.

Rothwell and Dos Santos will be dominated by the heavy hitters as the best of the division descend on Zagreb, with notable debuts from former M1 champion Marcin Tybura and Serbian Bojan Mihajlovic who will take on French newcomer Francis Ngannou.

However, the 28-year-old, who is arguably the most talented fighter to grace the UFC, was reinstated by the promotion in October after he pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident.

Jones’ eight consecutive light heavyweight title defences is a record in the division. He will have the opportunity to take back the belt from Cormier who won the championship by submitting Johnson at UFC 187 in May.

He has defended the title once in Jones’ absence, by narrowly defeating Alexander Gustafsson by split decision in October.

“Of course, defeating Hendricks, he’s a tough guy, the No2-ranked guy, former welterweight champion – I’m asking for the title,” Thompson said. “I know there’s a lot of guys in line, but I think after that performance, I deserved it.”

No longer is Thompson a curiosity, he’s a contender.

After his defeat to Matt Brown in his second Octagon appearance, many dismissed the heralded kickboxer as an over-hyped, one-trick pony. Not anymore. He is a credible mixed martial artist with a striking game to fear.

In that Brown defeat his susceptibility against wrestling was exposed but in the early exchanges yesterday morning he showed composure, working his way back to his feet when Hendricks had him pressed up against the cage.

“Once I was able to get out, I felt at home. I felt comfortable,” added the 57-0 kickboxer.

“Johny, he’s strong, man. He’s a strong dude. I know if I could stuff that takedown and get back to the centre, I could put him away. That’s exactly what we worked on and that’s exactly what I did.”

Wonderboy was simply wonderful and there’s no doubt about it, he’s among the elite.